Rodriguez has been back at practice for three weeks, with the Lions giving him the entire 21-day window to get his feet under him. Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com
ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions have activated Malcolm Rodriguez from the physically unable to perform list.
Rodriguez has been back at practice for three weeks, with the Lions giving him the entire 21-day window to get his feet under him.
The 26-year-old has been out since suffering an ACL injury against the Chicago Bears last November.
Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick back in 2022, is a hard-hitting downhill linebacker who has proven to be a great asset on special teams. He posted 43 tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss across 10 games and six starts last season. His most productive campaign came as a rookie, when he had 87 tackles, including eight for loss with one forced fumble and two pass deflections in 15 starts.
The Lions are deep at linebacker. But they have relied on their linebackers even more this year, with Jack Campbell rarely leaving the field, and Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes playing big roles, too.
They have Trevor Nowaske, Grant Stuard and Ty Summers filling out their depth, too. Stuard is a mainstay on special teams, handling a variety of roles. Nowaske provides depth at the SAM linebacker, and Summers has filled in some of the gaps on special teams in recent weeks.
Rodriguez is likely to step into an important role on special teams out of the gates. It’ll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard works him in the linebacker rotation, though.
“He’s a great player, or has been a very good player on teams, I’ll say that for sure,” Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp recently said. “Anytime you get a good player back, that obviously helps the whole group. So, it’ll be good. The better player that’s out there, the less load everyone else has to carry. So, it helps pass the load or share the load around.”
Detroit’s linebackers, led by Campbell, have been one of, if not its main strength, this season. Last week, Campbell played all 72 defensive snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles. Anzalone was out there for 68, Barnes for 63, and then Nowaske rounded out the rotation with four plays.
Rodriguez is a proven option against the run, who knows the scheme and his fellow linebackers well. He’s also spent his entire career working under Sheppard’s leadership, so the first-year defensive coordinator knows well what he’s getting back.
“To be honest with you, it’s the wrestling mentality. It goes back to his background, his upbringing,” Sheppard said last year as linebackers coach. “He has phenomenal parents, phenomenal brothers, phenomenal family. And he was raised the right way. Mental toughness, you talk about grit, try wrestling, and try doing it for a minute, let alone a whole match. That mindset and mentality allow him to be able to persevere through everything.
“I’m always reminded, even last year (2023), before you guys all said it — Malcolm Rodgiuez is a starter in my mind. And I have never wavered from that since his rookie year, when he took over and hit the scene running and took every veteran spot in the room until right now. He’s a starting-caliber linebacker, and now he’s ascending to a place where a lot of people are viewing him a on the topper end of linebackers of the league when you really watch him play.”
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